


Staying In

by Moriavis



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Relationship, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:00:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22537414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moriavis/pseuds/Moriavis
Summary: When the Flash missed a heist, Leonard Snart just had to discover what kept him. It wasn't what he expected.
Relationships: Barry Allen & Leonard Snart, Barry Allen/Leonard Snart
Comments: 23
Kudos: 362





	Staying In

**Author's Note:**

> This is unbetaed, my poor friends are too busy to be held to my whims. ♥ ♥
> 
> This is based off a tumblr prompt, and they asked for SAD!Barry and Leonard trying to make him feel better. I hope I managed it!

~*~

Leonard frowned as the seconds ticking away in the back of his mind turned into minutes. The Flash was a no-show. Again. A guy could get a complex with how often the kid ditched date night.

Not that Barry knew Leonard considered these heists dates. He was polite and remained very discreet about his personal fantasies.

The security guard, divested of his gun and sitting cross-legged on the floor, cleared his throat. "Um. Don't think he's gonna show, Mr. Cold." He didn't look afraid, even with the cold gun leveraged in his general direction.

Leonard closed his eyes and counted to five. "Who, exactly, do you think I'm waiting for?" The guard looked like he wasn't sure he should say more, and Leonard lifted his cold gun, pointedly aiming for central mass.

"The Flash!" he blurted out, avoiding Leonard's face. "He must be busy, right? And Heatwave's already gone with the money. You're not here to kill me, so you must be waiting on him."

Leonard blinked and holstered his gun. "I'm flattered you've kept such a close eye on my super villain career."

The guard ducked his head. "I'm a fan."

Leonard grinned, his sour mood vanishing. "Delightful. I think I'll take your advice. It's been a pleasure." 

Leaving the bank was as easy as getting in, and with Mick safely out of reach with their loot, there was no reason he couldn't take a detour. He changed his destination from his safehouse to head to Barry's apartment—he always liked to creep around where he wasn't supposed to be, and Barry's tardiness might have worried him. Just a little.

The door was locked, but it was only a second of work to jimmy the simple lock open and step inside. The apartment was dim and quiet, and Leonard took the opportunity to poke around. Books and clothes were scattered in the front room. There was an empty plate and a coffee cup in the sink, and the fridge was mostly empty.

He was about to go into the bathroom to poke around the medicine cabinet when he heard stilted breathing down the hall, and he followed the sound to its source. "Barry?"

Sparks lit up the dark room, and Leonard blinked spots from his eyes as the overhead lights turned on.

"What're you doing here, Snart?" Barry's arms were crossed over his chest—he was obviously angry and defensive, but Leonard had anticipated that as an acceptable risk. More importantly, the mound of snack wrappers littering the night stand told him what he wanted to know. Barry hadn't been sharing his evening with anyone, and to be honest, he didn't look great. His eyes were red-rimmed and a little swollen, his hair greasy and matted on one side.

"You missed my highly publicized bank heist," Leonard said. "You look like shit, kid. You okay?"

Barry laughed, looked surprised that he laughed, and turned away from Leonard, hiding his face in one hand. "Great. I'm feeling bad enough that my Rogues are checking in on me."

Leonard frowned and asked, a little more sharply than he intended, "Other Rogues've been checking on you?"

Barry turned back to face him, still struggling to keep the emotions off his face. Leonard almost told him not to bother. "Don't be jealous of the other Rogues, Snart."

Leonard rolled his eyes. "I'm just trying to figure out if I needed to re-evaluate our working relationship." He caught of whiff of Barry and wrinkled his nose, taking a step back. "Take a shower, kid."

Barry scowled and ducked his head to scent check, and his face went through several stages of embarrassment before he settled on resignation.

Leonard stepped out of the room and went to the kitchen, waiting until he heard the water running before he decided his next move. He shrugged out of his parka and gun holster, draping them over the back of a chair before he explored Barry's pantry. He pulled out some pasta, and he didn't spend any time trying to decipher his motives as he began preparing a simple dinner of spaghetti and marinara.

Barry was out before the food was done, and he watched Leonard from the bar that divided his kitchen and living room. "What are you doing?"

"You've been eating crap all day," Leonard pointed out. "Thought you might appreciate something more substantial." He plated the pasta and set it in front of Barry. "Wanna tell me what's up?" Barry averted his eyes and took a cautious bite of the pasta, so Leonard turned his attention to the dishes.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Barry whispered, so low Leonard almost didn't hear it over the sound of the water. 

Leonard made a small _hmm_ of acknowledgement, but didn't bother to explain anything. It would give too much away, and he wasn't quite ready to untangle his thoughts.

"I've always been like this," Barry confessed. "It's not very cold here, but it gets cloudy and dark and… I guess everything's just harder. After I got my powers, the swings got worse. My brain chemistry's a little...off."

Leonard nodded, although he didn't look back at Barry until he was done with the dishes. "You got a feel good-movie you like to watch?"

"You're going to laugh," Barry protested.

Leonard crossed his heart. "Nope. Cross my heart and hope to die."

Barry narrowed his eyes at him like he was still expecting Leonard to be a jerk about it and said, " _Singing in the Rain._ "

Leonard nodded. "Mick likes that one. I'll get it queued." Barry's eyes widened, and Leonard crossed his arms. "Or I could go. Just figured you shouldn't be alone. If anyone else was available, they'd here, right?"

Barry nodded. "Iris and Joe are at work." He looked at Leonard a moment longer, a slow, hopeful smile crossing his face. "I'll make the hot chocolate if you'll get the movie ready?"

"Deal." For a moment, he wanted to reach out, touch Barry's hand or ruffle his hair, and the urge was like a glass of cold water, shocking him back into awareness. It was too easy. This domesticity wasn't his to keep, and he needed to remember that. Next time, they'd be back on opposing sides, and their roles would be clearly marked.

He got the movie ready, and Barry followed him into the living room a few minutes later, passing him a mug. His cocoa had mini marshmallows.

Maybe, Leonard thought, as Barry settled onto the sofa next to him without a hint of hesitation, he'd let the lines blur a little tonight. It was the nice thing to do.

~*~


End file.
